Climate control system fan

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a fan blower ( 18 ) for a heating/air conditioning system, in particular for a motor vehicle, with an impeller ( 22 ) and a motor ( 24 ) that drives this impeller ( 22 ).  
     The invention provides that at least one ion generator ( 48 ) is structurally connected to the fan blower ( 18 ). The invention relates, in particular, to a fan blower ( 18 ) of the aforementioned type in which the ionizer ( 48 ) is connected to the fan blower electronics ( 58 ) or is integrated therein.  
     The invention additionally relates to a heating/air conditioning system provided with at least one evaporator ( 20 ), at least one heating heat-exchanger ( 28 ), at least one fan blower ( 18 ), and an electronic circuit ( 58 ) that controls the fan blower ( 18 ).  
     The invention provides that, in a heating/air conditioning system of this type, at least one ion generator ( 48 ) is structurally connected to the fan blower ( 18 ) and/or the electronic circuit ( 58 ) of the fan blower ( 18 ) of the heating/air conditioning system.

[0001] The present invention relates to a fan blower for a heating/airconditioning system, in particular for a motor vehicle. A fan blower ofthis type has an impeller and an electric motor that drives thisimpeller, and it is typically located in the heater housing assembly ofa motor vehicle.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0002] Luxury-class motor vehicles and, increasingly, moderate-classmotor vehicles are equipped not only with a heating system, but, as ofrecently, also with an air conditioning system as a standard feature. Aheating/air conditioning system of this type generally includes at leastone evaporator, at least one heating heat-exchanger, and a fan blower.When air is cooled as part of the air-conditioning process, it is veryoften dehumidified as well. When this occurs, the moisture in the aircondenses on cold surfaces. Although most of the liquid condensate isdrained off over time, a certain liquid film remains on the surfaces. Asa result, the continual precipitation of moisture out of the suppliedair tends to cause fungal deposits and bacterial cultures to develop onevaporators in motor vehicle air-conditioning systems, for example, dueto contaminants in the transported air. Strong bacterial growth canoccur when the vehicle is at a standstill and/or during summer months,when temperatures are higher. The products of decomposition of thesebacteria create odor problems and pose health risks, such as allergies,to the motor vehicle passengers.

[0003] Filters are therefore used to an increasing extent to preventcontaminants from entering the air conditioning system. Fungal andbacterial infestation can also be largely prevented by using toxiccoatings or thermal processes, for example. Although these measuresreduce deposits and the formation of odor associated therewith, theycannot be eliminated entirely, in particular as the air conditioningsystem ages. The coating of the condensation surfaces that occurs overthe years also prevents heat transfer, e.g., between an evaporator andthe incoming air stream to be cooled.

[0004] An “automatic oxygen shower with scent” for use in motorvehicles, among other applications, is disclosed in publication DE19962382 A1. According to this publication, oxygen and scents aretransported from corresponding reservoirs through connecting lines to aventilator that mixes these substances with the ambient air, e.g., inthe passenger compartment, thereby reducing the values of respiratoryair, which is contaminated with excessive levels of ozone, smog or othertypes of air pollutants, to normal values for respiratory air.

[0005] According to publication DE 19962382 A1, the “automatic oxygenshower with scent” provides for the installation of a dedicatedfresh-air fan blower or the attachment of spray nozzles for the oxygenor the air scents on the end piece of the heating/air conditioningsystem, behind the dashboard and in front of the air outlet to thedashboard.

[0006] Publication DE 199 33 180 A1 discloses an apparatus fordeodorizing and sterilizing air for use in room air filters and motorvehicles, in the case of which air is enriched with active oxygen ionsand ozone using ionizers that are located in front of a filter medium inthe flow direction. The ionization assembly of the device disclosed inDE 199 33 180 A1 is permanently connected to the filter medium. As such,the ionization assembly must be replaced whenever the filter medium isreplaced.

[0007] Publication DE 196 51 403 A1 discloses an apparatus and a methodfor improving air quality in the passenger compartments of motorvehicles, in the case of which a physical air preparation unit isintegrated in the ventilation system of the motor vehicle in such amanner that a certain number of ions is always present in the passengercompartment. This ensures that the situation in which a reduced numberof ions is present in the passenger compartment—which is normal whendirty, smoky or contaminated air is present—is corrected. In publicationDE 196 51 403 A1, the physical air preparation device is combined with afilter.

[0008] The object of the invention is to provide a device that enablesodor-producing deposits in motor vehicle air-conditioning systems to bebiologically deactivated with great effectiveness while utilizing aslittle additional installation space as possible, so that odor formationcan be reliably prevented or at least markedly reduced.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The fan blower according to the invention, which ensures thenecessary air flow, e.g., in a heating/air conditioning system of amotor vehicle, includes an impeller and a motor that drives thisimpeller.

[0010] The invention provides that at least one ion generator, alsoreferred to hereinbelow as an “ionizer”, is structurally connected tothe fan blower for a heating/air conditioning system. A motor vehiclefan blower is usually installed in the air conditioning system after thefresh air-recirculated air mode door and in front of the heat exchangersfor heating and/or cooling the air. This installation location is alsoadvantageously suited for an ion generator, the chemically active ionsof which must react with the biological material that results in theformation of odor. In order to effectively eliminate or deactivate theodor-producing deposits, the entire surface, if possible, of theevaporator of an air conditioning system, for example, must be coatedwith ions. To accomplish this, the ions must be mixed well with thesupplied fresh air or recirculated air.

[0011] To ensure that all air branches are affected, the ion generatormust be installed after the fresh air-recirculated air mode door, but infront of the evaporator in the air stream of the air conditioningsystem. An installation site of this nature for an ion generator may beadvantageously realized when the ion generator is structurally connectedto the fan blower. Moreover, the fan blower advantageously enables theintake air to be mixed with the chemically active ions.

[0012] Advantageous improvements and further developments of the fanblower indicated in claim 1 are possible as a result of the measureslisted in the further claims.

[0013] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the fan bloweraccording to the invention, the ion generator is structurally connectedto an electronic circuit for operating the fan blower. The fan blowerelectronics are normally directly exposed to the air flow to theevaporator via a heat sink for dissipating the heat from power lossesfrom the electronic components. The electronics for the air conditioningsystem are therefore exposed to the air flow, e.g., directly under thefan wheel or at the point where the air flow rate is greatest.

[0014] Advantageously, the ion generator can therefore be located on aheat sink of the air conditioning housing electronics, for example,and/or in the immediate vicinity of a heat sink of this type. In turn,the heat sink is installed in the motor mount of the fan blower, and thefingers of the heat sink, for example, are then located under the fanwheel with the ionizer. The ionizer is therefore integrated in the fanblower electronics in such a manner that the ions that are being emittedare carried by the air that flows past and serves to dissipate heat fromthe heat sinks.

[0015] In a particularly advantageous fashion, the location of the iongenerator in or on a heat sink of the fan blower electronics results inthe ions being evenly distributed in the air stream due to strong airturbulence at the heat sink geometry.

[0016] A homogeneous distribution of the reactive ions in the air streamis necessary to evenly coat the entire surface, e.g., of the evaporator,with ions, and to achieve an effective deactivation of the biologicalcoating.

[0017] Advantageously, the entire infrastructure needed to operate anion generator is already available in the fan blower electronics. Forexample, the network connections, current and voltage supply, anddigital signal processing are available in the fan blower electronics,thereby enabling the actuation, monitoring, control and diagnosis of theion generator to be incorporated in the electronic system forcontrolling the fan blower with minimal technical outlay. Whencyclically actuated fan blower electronics are involved, for example,the electronic filters that are present anyway therefore protect thevehicle electrical system from a clock frequency of the ion generator,for example.

[0018] An electronic system for controlling a fan blower for aheating/air conditioning system, for example, can therefore besupplemented with an ion generator in simple and advantageous fashion,which results in a marked reduction in odor problems in an airconditioning system of a motor vehicle. In an advantageous exemplaryembodiment of the fan blower according to the invention, the iongenerator, its electronic control and the fan blower electronics cantherefore be located in the same housing. To prevent electronicinterference effects, however, an arrangement is also feasible in whichthe two electronic components are located in separate housings orhousing parts that are interconnected.

[0019] Oxygen ions, and ozone in particular, are particularly suited toreducing the amount of biologically active material via interaction withthe condensed water.

[0020] Using the fan blower according to the invention, which has astructurally integrated ion generator, a heating/air conditioning systemfor a motor vehicle that markedly reduces odor problems in the passengercompartment of the motor vehicle can be realized in advantageousfashion.

[0021] The combination, according to the invention, of an ion generatorwith the fan blower electronics also advantageously saves installationspace, weight and component outlay for the system. The fan bloweraccording to the invention results in a particularly good mixing of airwith the chemically active ions, enabling them to largely deactivate thebiologically active, odor-forming material. Since the ion generator andthe fan blower electronics belong to the same electrical system, thedata from these subsystems can be processed jointly and, therefore, in asimpler fashion.

DRAWING

[0022] An exemplary embodiment of the device according to the inventionis depicted in the drawing; it will be explained in greater detail inthe description to follow. The figures of the drawing, theirdescription, and the claims contain numerous features in combination.One skilled in the art will advantageously consider them individually aswell and combine them into reasonable further combinations.

[0023]FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic diagram of an air conditioningsystem for a motor vehicle,

[0024]FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a fan blower module for aheater/air conditioning system, in a sectional view,

[0025]FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a control device for the fanblower for a heater/air conditioning system, in a top view,

[0026]FIG. 4 shows a side view of the control device for the fan blowerfor a heater/air conditioning system from FIG. 3, and

[0027]FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the combined electronics of thefan blower for a heater/air conditioning system and the ionizer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0028]FIG. 1 shows the principal design of the heating part of aheating/air conditioning system of a motor vehicle. Either fresh air orrecirculated air, selectively, is drawn in through an air duct 10 of theheater housing assembly. A fresh air-recirculated air mode door 12enables selection of the air type; it can be operated manually by themotor vehicle passengers and/or adjusted using an appropriate automaticcontrol. The air from fresh-air duct 14 or recirculated-air duct 16 thatwas selected using fresh air-recirculated air mode door 12 is drawn inby a fan blower 18 and directed through an evaporator 20 locateddownstream.

[0029] In accordance with specifiable values, the evaporator, which isconnected to a coolant circuit (not shown), cools the air flow that iscreated by fan blower 18. Dehumidification also takes place during thiscooling of the air that accompanies the air conditioning process. Whenthis takes place, the humidity in the air condenses on cold surfaces,such as the housing surface of the evaporator. Although most of theliquid condensate is drained off over time, a certain liquid filmremains on the surfaces.

[0030] Fan blower 18, which is depicted only schematically in theexemplary embodiment in FIG. 1, includes an impeller 22, a motor 24 thatdrives impeller 22, and an electronic circuit for the open-loop andclosed-loop control of the fan blower, which is not shown explicity inFIG. 1, to enhance clarity.

[0031] The air flowing through air duct 10 in the direction of arrow 26can be selectively directed over a heating heat-exchanger 28. The amountof air that is directed over heating heat-exchanger 28 by fan blower 18can be adjusted using a heater door 30. In this manner, the temperatureof the air that enters the passenger compartment of the motor vehiclemay be varied by mixing the portions of cold and warm air.

[0032] The precipitation of moisture on the housing of evaporator 20described hereinabove results when a certain amount of the air that isdrawn through air duct 10 condenses on the cold surface of evaporator20. When this moisture precipitates out, contaminants from the suppliedair are deposited on the evaporator housing. These contaminants resultin unpleasant odors and potential health problems. They should thereforebe prevented.

[0033]FIG. 2 is a principal diagram of the basic design of a fan blowerfor a heating/air conditioning system 18. The air to be moved forward isdrawn in through a central opening 32 of fan blower 18; it isaccelerated and moved forward by impeller 34. Using a guidance device,which can be integrated in housing 36 of fan blower 18, for example, theaccelerated air is redirected and expelled out of fan blower 18 througha tangential opening 48. Impeller 34 is driven via a shaft 40 of anelectric motor that is not shown in FIG. 2.

[0034] Fan blower 18 is controlled via a fan blower controller 42. Fanblower controller 42 includes control electronics and, among otherthings, various heat sinks 43 with fingers 44, for example, fordissipating the heat from power losses from the power electronics of fanblower controller 42. Fan blower controller 42 is mounted on housing 36of fan blower 18 according to the invention in such a manner thatfingers 44 of heat sink 43 extend into the air stream that is movedforward by fan blower 18. This enables effective cooling of theelectronic components of fan blower controller 42.

[0035] Fan blower 18 according to the invention, according to theexemplary embodiment in FIG. 2, has a fan blower controller 42, in whosehousing 46 an ionizer 48 is also located. Ionizer element 48 is exposed,via an opening 52 in housing 46, to the air in the air conditioningsystem that flows past in the direction of arrow 50.

[0036]FIG. 3 shows a top view of housing 46, in which fan blowercontroller 42 and ionizer 48 are integrated. To protect them fromcontact, and for reasons of electromagnetic compatibility, opening52—which is provided in housing 46 for ionizer 48—is covered with aprotective screen 54. The high voltage for ionization element 48 isgenerated in ionizer electronics 56, which are also integrated inhousing 46 of fan blower controller 42, as depicted schematically inFIG. 4, which is a side view of fan blower controller 42. As shown inFIG. 4 in greater detail, housing 46 contains electronics 58 for fanblower controller 42 of fan blower 18 and ionizer 48, including theassociated high-voltage generator 56. By integrating ionizer 48 inhousing 46 and directly in the electronics of fan blower controller 42,the advantageous arrangement of fan blower controller 42 depicted inFIG. 2 can also be utilized for the ionizer in advantageous fashion.

[0037] An important point to consider with regard for the installationlocation of fan blower controller 42 is the air circulation around theelectronics of the fan blower power controller, which is important forreasons of cooling. This air circulation around housing 46 and theassociated air turbulence at fingers 44 of heat sink 43 of fan blowerelectronics ensures that the particles emitted by ionizer are mixed wellwith the air that flows past, so that the chemically active ions aredistributed largely homogeneously in the air stream, enabling thesurface of evaporator 20 of the heating and cooling system, which iscovered with contaminants, to also be evenly coated with ions.

[0038]FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the combined fan blower controllerand ionizer electronics. Signal-processing electronics 60 of the controlsystem for fan blower 18 are advantageously used for the open-loop andclosed-loop control of fan blower controller 42 and, therefore, formotor 24 of the fan blower, and for ionizer 48. An interface 62 servesto connect signal-processing electronics 60 to the rest of the vehicleelectronics. Ionizer electronics 56 and electronics 58 receive theircontrol signals via the interfaces and/or connections 64 and 66 tocontrol the fan blower. Specific electronics 56 and 58 then actuateionizer 48 and/or fan blower motor 24 in known fashion.

[0039] Further sensor signals can be integrated in this common controlof the fan blower, as shown in FIG. 5; these further sensor signalstrigger actuation and activation of the ionizer above a certaintemperature threshold. It is also possible that a chemical sensordetects a corresponding formation of odor and activates the ionizer.

[0040] To accomplish this, the only additional requirements are thecorresponding sensors and a signal processing, and for these signals tobe coupled to the controller.

[0041] The device according to the invention is not limited to theexemplary embodiment depicted in the figures.

[0042] In particular, the device according to the invention is notlimited to use in a motor vehicle.

[0043] The invention according to the invention is not limited to theuse of oxygen ions.

[0044] Furthermore, the invention according to the invention is notlimited to the deactivation of biological material or its products ofdecomposition. In particular, the device according to the invention canbe used for the general improvement of air quality in a heating/airconditioning system.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fan blower for a heating/air conditioningsystem, in particular for a motor vehicle, with an impeller (22) and amotor (24) that drives this impeller (22), wherein at least one iongenerator (48) is structurally connected to the fan blower (18).
 2. Thefan blower as recited in claim 1, wherein the ion generator (48) isconnected to the fan blower (18) in such a manner that the particlesthat exit the ion generator (48) are carried with the air that is movedforward by the fan blower (18).
 3. The fan blower as recited in claim 1or 2, wherein the ion generator (48) is structurally connected to anelectronic circuit arrangement (58) for operating the fan blower (18).4. The fan blower as recited in claim 3, wherein the electronic circuitarrangement (58) for operating the fan blower (18) and a circuitarrangement (56) for operating the ion generator (48) are located in ahousing (46).
 5. The fan blower as recited in claim 3 on, wherein theion generator (48) is located on top of or next to a heat sink (43) ofthe electronic circuit arrangement (58) for operating the fan blower(18).
 6. The fan blower as recited in claim 5, wherein the electroniccircuit arrangement (58, 56) is integrated in the fan blower (18) insuch a manner that at least one heat sink (43) is cooled by the air thatis moved forward by the fan blower (18).
 7. The fan blower as recited inone of the preceding claim 1, wherein the electrical energy supply ofthe ion generator (48) is connected to a current and/or voltage supplysource and/or a digital signal processing of the electronic circuitarrangement (58) for operating the fan blower (18).
 8. The fan blower asrecited in one of the preceding claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit(58) for operating the fan blower (18) and/or the ion generator (48) arecyclically actuated.
 9. A heating/air conditioning system, in particularfor a motor vehicle, provided with at least one evaporator (20), atleast one heating heat-exchanger (28), at least one fan blower (18), andat least one electronic circuit arrangement (58) that controls the atleast one fan blower (18), wherein an ion generator (48) is structurallyconnected to the at least one fan blower (18) and/or the electroniccircuit arrangement (58).
 10. A device as recited in claim 1, whereinthe ion generator (48) produces and releases oxygen ions; ozone, inparticular.